The Fountain Hotel, Cape Town

Maybe my stay at The Southern Sun raised the bar and spoiled me rotten. Every time I compare the Fountain Hotel hotel with them, the Fountain just doesn't measure up. As a guest who stayed for three months, they should have gone out of their way to make sure I enjoyed my stay. I had no such luck.
***
The room
Because I was going to be here for quite some time so I stayed in a suite with a kitchenette at a discounted ZAR17,000/month. No microwave but I had an electric oven, stove top and complete kitchenware.

The bed had a queen sized width but a strangely short length-- my feet dangled at the edge whenever I lay flat on my back!

If you're the sort of person who likes to fall asleep while watching the TV, you're out of luck because it won't fit the room. The TV is outside in the living room and only has a couple of sports and movie channels. (The Southern Sun definitely had more channels.)

The bathroom had a shower/tub combo and it passed my will-walk-barefoot test. Towels were not as big and fluffy as I'd want them to be but I figured for the cost of this room, it should have been as luxurious as the Wild Mushroom Guesthouse at Stellenbosch!

To welcome me, I had a small basket of fruit and a plate of cheese and crackers. For some reason, I never got around to eating the fruit and it remained rotting on the table until I checked out three months later. I purposely did not throw it out just to see if housekeeping would notice it.

Amenities
What amenities? The pool? Hahaha! What a joke! It allegedly had a heater but even after my many complaints, the water never warmed up. Despite it being winter, I decided to give it a chance anyway and went for a swim.

Big mistake.

It's longer than it is wide and I cut my hand along one side as I tried to do my laps. (As of this writing, I still have the scar on my wrist.) After 15 minutes, I had to stop because my eyes were stinging very badly! The cloudy water should've given me the hint that there was too much chlorine. I couldn't open my eyes the next day because they were still so puffy and caked with the salt from my tears.

Oh and don't get me started on the gym! I complained and complained but during my whole stay (three months!), they never got around to fixing the broken rowing machine. The lone weights machine is a safety hazard with no operating instructions and is in dire need of oiling.

Service
The staff is friendly and I honestly believe that they try very hard. Unfortunately it's the result and not the effort that matters.

Every morning for three months, I gave my room number to the same lady at the breakfast buffet. It seems that she could never remember me. Maybe to her, all of us asians look alike. TO her credit however, she finally got it right during my last week but she never greeted me by name. In fact, none of the staff ever took the trouble to learn my name!

The breakfast spread is good but I missed the free apples that the Southern Sun always had for its guests. The coffee and tea is self-service so you get it instantaneously but it's not as fancy as the Sun's made-to-order cappucinos and latte.

Some tips:
1. Request for a room on the higher floors. The streets are very busy and very noisy. Every 8pm, there's a honey truck that drains the septic tank across the street and it's very loud and annoying.
2. Use the do not disturb sign! Housekeeping will come and clean your room at 8am. Even on Saturdays. And Sundays. WTF!?!
3. Laundry is very expensive. For the price of washing a shirt, I can do a whole week's worth at the same-day service Nannucci laundromat right behind the hotel.

Conclusion:
There was always a lot of Mandarin speaking tourists while I was there so I guess that's a good sign. If you're just looking for a place to stay while you're vacationing in Cape Town, The Fountain Hotel would be a good choice. The daily rate is cheaper than the Southern Sun's and if you're willing to overlook the pool and gym, it's really not that bad.
***
If you liked this review, you may also want to read my review of the Southern Sun: Cape Sun.

Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel, Cape Town

The four-star Southern Sun: Cape Sun hotel is a bit pricey but very comfortable and is great for business travellers.
***
First thing that impressed me was the number of staff at the lobby. The moment I stepped in, all six of the staff (excluding the doorman, concierge and reception) were lined up at attention greeting me. (It was actually a bit embarassing.)

Checking-in while sipping my complimentary drink was quick and hassle-free. The lobby was spacious, modern with ample lounging room, a bar and a baby-grand piano in one corner.

Location
The hotel is walking distance from Long street which has a row of bars and restaurants. (Even if you could walk to it, the staff advises against it because it's unsafe.) Lots of shopping and fast food around St. George's Mall St., there's a grocery and Woolworth's which is their version of Marks & Spencer and a catholic church which is a 15 minute walk away. It's a 30min walk to the V&A waterfront but the hotel has a shuttle that leaves every 30mins.

the room
The room was clean and looked new. I had a picture window with a great view of table mountain (see photo). The bed was big with immaculate white sheets. Soft down-feather pillows, cable tv, office desk, couch and a mini-ref. Every night, there was a complimentary bottle of water.

Wi-fi internet service is relatively affordable (ZAR80/day) and fast but has a limit on how much data you can transfer.

service
Housekeeping generally keeps the room clean however they weren't consistent in giving me those evening treats. In theory I was supposed to get a Lindt chocolate every night, a Sally Williams nougat every 5th night, and the longer I stayed, i'd get bigger and better things like a bottle of wine. In practice though, I never got them and I was lucky If i got a Lindt at all!

Before I checked out and after staying for almost 3 weeks, I told the head of housekeeping about this. She was extremely apologetic and said she'd make sure it would not happen again. She gave me three Sally Williams nougats. Meh. Too little, too late.

Oh and one time I unexpectedly returned to my room just after lunch and I caught the housekeeper taking a leak in my room's toilet. She was aghast and embarrassed but I was pretty cool about the whole thing. (I still don't know whether to give this minus points because of the unprofessionalism or to give plus points because of the sheer hilarity.)

Breakfast
The pricey breakfast buffet (ZAR110) has a big enough spread-- fresh fruit, cheese, bread, porridge, cereal, bacon, sausages, smoked fish, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms and eggs made on-demand.

They've got a professional-looking coffee machine and they'll make a fresh cup of cappuccino or espresso. I would've asked for a fresh cup every morning but it takes so long that by the time they deliver it to me, i'm half done with my meal!

gym
The hotel has a modern gym with exercise balls, free weights, a resistance machine, rower, treadmills and a bike. There's a pool but it's so small that I'd rather call it a bird bath.

Conclusion:
Four pawikan points. Bonus points for the glass elevators. Make sure you ask for a room on the higher floors facing the mountain.

The staff is accomodating but they lack initiative-- you have to ask for what you want. I contracted chicken pox while I was here and it was their perfect chance to show-off their service but I didn't get any special treatment.

Upon check-out, I told them about how I expected them to "shine" but they said that I should've told the duty manager. (This despite the fact that I already told the concierge and he even called the doctor for me, that I was ordering room service for each meal for almost two weeks and that I'd tell the cleaners to be careful because I was contagious) They said that they would've sent up snacks, magazines, DVD's and what-not. Too little, too late but I'd definitely stay here again.